Has anyone had swelling, burning, and pain 8 months after TKR surgery?

Posted by joycef @joycef, Aug 31 8:03am

I am nearly 8 months out, and have had implant checked both by surgeon and walk-in clinic. I was walking for 1 mile and a half 4 months after surgery and felt things were going as expected. But things have taken a turn for the worse.
Surgeon said things would improve over time, but now I can't walk more than a few minutes and my knee fills up with fluid. Also there is periodic burning. If I try to put a compression sleeve on it, it is very painful.
I have been told by another orthopedic surgeon I need to give it a year.
So discouraged. Any ideas would be appreciated.

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sheilab1122 | @sheilab1122 | 1 day ago

I have had 3 knee replacements on same knee and 2 surgeries on my knee cap on the same knee. I am in a lot of pain. The last knee cap surgery was June 2025

karenheller | @karenheller | 22 hours ago

I’m not a physician, just a fellow patient, but I’ll just tell you my story. My surgery was in October 2024. I had a slower recovery than other people reported. I had serious pain for seven months, after which I finally felt like myself. It actually took me until now—almost two years—to be happy I did the procedure. I’m so happy, in fact, that I’m going to schedule TKA on my other knee.

My problem in the beginning was doing too much rehab, which wouldn’t have been too much for another person. At four months, I could barely move. I changed physical therapists and the new one told me to stop exercising at home and only go to rehab for a while. That helped. Then I didn’t go to rehab for a week because I had guests, and I noticed that my knee really loosened up. Once I started listening to my body, and taking the recovery much slower than other people reported doing, my knee healed better. I achieved five more degrees of flexion in the second half of the first year!

So, for a start, leave your knee alone for a good while. Stop trying to do anything that’s painful. Meanwhile, look for a physical therapist that gives you at least an hour in each visit and who does gentle manual therapy, along with heating and icing. Maybe contact the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). My second—wonderful!—PT was certified by that organization. Good luck and please report back.